12
what a place to be: successful
CARLOS DOESN’T REMEMBER ↓
Download and Listen to Episode 4 of Malcolm Gladwell’s podcast series at: revisionisthistory.com
THIS PAST SUMMER, Choate was referenced in a podcast by New Yorker
staff writer Malcolm Gladwell, who recounted the story of a promising Hispanic middle school student named Carlos who was offered a full scholarship but was unable to attend due to family circumstances. He and his sister were subsequently placed in foster care, and his mother, remanded to a Texas state prison. Carlos’s story is not unique, says Gladwell. Gladwell explores the conundrum of college admission officers who every year miss out on the recruitment of a large swath of low income, smart kids – about 35,000 – who score in the 90th percentile on standardized tests, yet don’t have the opportunity to attend college. The potential among this group, he says, is underutilized or forgotten, much to society’s detriment. “The capitalization rate,” he argues, “or the percentage of people in any group who are able to reach their potential, is a measure of whether a society is successful and might even be an even better measure of success than GDP, growth rate, or per capita income.” This concept of “capitalization” is not new. President John F. Kennedy ’35 used the aphorism, “a rising tide lifts all boats” to drive home the notion that improvements in the general economy or society will maximize human potential. AS AN 8TH GRADER LIVING IN SOUTH LOS ANGELES, Carlos was recruited to
the YES Program, which was founded in 2010 by Hollywood entertainment lawyer and education visionary Eric Eisner. YES identifies and engages underserved students in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Appalachia, helping them capitalize on their intellectual potential to glean opportunities to further their education and careers. In order for high-achieving, low-income students to be successful, however, there needs to be a partnership of advocates – a YES Scholars Program and a strategic partnership with schools like Choate Rosemary Hall, whose admission philosophies support the enrollment of the most talented and accomplished students, regardless of economic circumstances. YES Founder Eric Eisner says this about the syncronicity of success: “Choate Rosemary Hall and YES have built one of those perfect, though rare, partnerships where both sides feel even more grateful for the other. Having Choate as a destination our middle school Scholars can strive for is inspirational for YES as well as our kids.”
Last year, says Jeff Beaton, “We accepted five YES Scholars. This is the most of any of the college preparatory institutions in the Ten Schools Admission Organization (TSAO).” Three new YES Scholars will matriculate at Choate this fall. Three of the Scholars currently at Choate were recognized at Prize Day last May. Richard Lopez ’18 won the Fourth Form Prize for overall excellence. And both Abigail Rivas ’19 and Sabastian Chacon ’19 won Third Form Prizes for earnest and persistent effort. YES Executive Director Alina Beruff continues to advocate for Scholars attending Choate and follows their careers, thereafter. Her connection to Choate is personal. Her uncle, Theo Menocal, was a Choate alumnus, Class of 1962, as was her maternal grandfather, Luis Menocal, Jr., a classmate of John F. Kennedy ’35. Recalls Beruff, it was during the height of the Depression, when Headmaster George St. John awarded her grandfather, Luis, “with great happiness scholarships amounting to $1,000.” Says Beruff, “Attending Choate on a scholarship opened many doors for my grandfather. While he was at Choate, he and his close friend Jack Kennedy were famous for their mischievous ways and for their commitment to academics, reading, and culture.” Raised in a country brewing with political unrest, Luis’s Choate scholarship allowed him to thrive and diminished the challenges his family would face with the looming Cuban Revolution. Doors continued to open for Luis. After Choate, he attended Yale, married, and then returned to Cuba where he worked for his wife’s family’s pharmaceutical company. After the Cuban Revolution of 1959, the family moved to Palm Beach where they were frequent guests at the Kennedy Winter White House. It was President Kennedy who alerted Beruff’s grandmother, who had returned home to attend her father’s funeral, to get out of Cuba before the Bay of Pigs invasion. Had she stayed in Havana, she and Beruff's mother, Emilia, (who was 10 months old at the time), would have struggled to safely leave the country to reunite with Luis and her four other children. Beruff admits, “Privilege does makes a difference,” as her family history demonstrates. Her grandfather’s access to a Choate education via scholarship and his relationship with his famous classmate were factors in opening doors for her family and allowing for a fruitful life outside of Cuba. That is why she is so passionate about working with academically promising children in the YES-Los Angeles program, many of whom are socioeconomically disadvantaged and can most benefit from the opportunities a school like Choate can provide.
During the height of the Depression, Luis Menocal, Jr. ’35, was awarded scholarships amounting to $1,000 allowing him to thrive.